Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio da Silva, also known as “Lula,” has accused the country’s security forces of neglecting their duty and possibly colluding with protesters who stormed government buildings in Brasília over the weekend.
Lula stated that both the Brasília police and intelligence agencies failed to take appropriate measures to prevent the attacks, and pledged to investigate who financed the protesters. The demonstrations, which were led by supporters of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro, targeted the Supreme Court, presidential palace, and Congress, calling for the military to intervene and remove Lula from power.
Videos of the attack show police seemingly standing by and allowing the protesters to enter government buildings, leading to speculation of collusion between security forces and the demonstrators.
Brazil’s presidential communications minister, Paulo Pimenta, said that the events could not have occurred “without some level of facilitation.” He also pointed out that the main doors to Congress and the presidential palace were not broken, suggesting that protesters were allowed to enter.
In response to the events, Brazilian Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes temporarily removed Ibaneis Rocha, a Bolsonaro ally and governor of the Federal District, which includes the capital of Brasília, from his post for three months. Rocha had fired Anderson Torres, the former head of security for the Federal District, prior to his removal.
Torres, who had previously served as justice minister in Bolsonaro’s government, condemned the scenes as “regrettable” and stated that he had ordered steps to restore order in the city. Bolsonaro himself was hospitalized in Orlando, Florida, and tweeted a photo of himself from a hospital bed, claiming that he was receiving treatment for complications from an old stab wound.
Many are calling for investigations and punishment for those responsible for the security breach, with some US lawmakers also calling for Bolsonaro’s removal from the country following the attacks by his supporters.
